Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Theses Department of History 5-8-2020 The Aluminum Age: Postmodern Themes in American Comics Circa 2001-2018 Amy Collerton Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_theses Recommended Citation Collerton, Amy, "The Aluminum Age: Postmodern Themes in American Comics Circa 2001-2018." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2020. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_theses/126 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE ALUMINUM AGE: POSTMODERN THEMES IN AMERICAN COMICS CIRCA 1985- 2018 by AMY COLLERTON Under the Direction of John McMillian, PhD ABSTRACT This thesis seeks to update the fan-made system of organization for comic book history. Because academia ignored comics for much of their history, fans of the medium were forced to design their own system of historical organization. Over time, this system of ages was adopted not only by the larger industry, but also by scholars. However, the system has not been modified to make room for comics published in the 21st century. Through the analysis of a selection modern comics, including Marvel’s Civil War and DC Comics’ Infinite Crisis, this thesis suggests a continuation of the age system, the Aluminum Age (2001-the present). Comics published during the Aluminum Age incorporate Postmodern themes and are unique to the historical context in which they were published.